Joao Carlos Teixeira
João Carlos Teixeira (born 18 January 1993) is a Portuguese footballer who played for Liverpool from 2012 to 2016. Liverpool career Liverpool agreed a deal, worth a reported £1,000,000 with Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon for their highly-rated midfield playmaker Teixeira in the 2012 January transfer window. Teixeira had impressed Liverpool scouts whilst playing for Lisbon during the 2011-12 NextGen Series, during which he netted against the Reds in Lisbon's 3-0 victory on Merseyside. Although Teixeira never managed to make a first-team appearance for Lisbon, the signing was greeted with some excitement by the Liverpool faithful, following comparisons between Teixeira and former Barcelona and Chelsea star Deco. After signing with Liverpool, Teixeira had to sit out the rest of the 2011-12 season due to a back injury. He made his debut for Liverpool in an Under 18s 8-1 friendly victory over Exeter on 14 July 2012, and then made his Reserve team debut on 19 July in the side's 4-2 friendly victory over the USA under 20s. He made his long-awaited competitive debut for the Under 21s on 1 October 2012, coming on for the last ten minutes of a 3-0 victory over Fulham. On 5 November 2012, Teixeira came on for the U21s against Wolverhampton Wanderers at half-time with the Reds trailing 1-0. He made a big impact on the match and claimed an assist for Krisztián Adorján to make the score 3-1. He then scored his first goal in a red shirt to make it 4-1, with the final score 5-1 to Liverpool. Teixeira quickly became one of the U21's star performers. He racked up 20 appearances during the season and scored 2 goals as he showed much promise. On 10 September 2013, it was confirmed that Teixeira had moved to League One side Brentford on a loan deal. This only last for one month, with Teixeira returning to Liverpool in October 2013. On 12 February 2014, after some positive pre-match words from Brendan Rodgers about the young starlet's progress in first-team training, Teixeira made his Liverpool debut, coming on as a substitute wearing the number 53 shirt in a 3-2 win at Fulham. He impressed in his cameo, and played a part in the build up play that ultimately led to Liverpool's match-winning penalty. Teixeira broke a Liverpool record as his shirt number 53 was the highest number Liverpool had ever fielded. For the U21s, Teixeira completed the 2013-14 season with five goals in 13 appearances to his name. After playing some part in the first team's 2014-15 pre-season schedule, Teixeira moved on loan to Championship outfit Brighton- now coached by Reds legend Sami Hyypia- for the full season. On 14 April 2015, Teixeira suffered a broken leg while playing for Brighton in the Championship. He was ruled out for a long spell and returned to Liverpool for treatment. Teixeira finished the season as Brighton's top scorer in the Championship, with six. On 19 May 2015, Teixeira was named the Liverpool Academy Players' Player of the Year, despite spending the season away from the club. However, on 14 July 2015, just three months after his injury, Teixeira made his return for Liverpool, playing the first 45 minutes in a 4-0 win over the Thailand Premier League XI. Teixeira picked up two assists in the game: first, a through-ball for Lazar Markovic to round the keeper and slot in, and then a deep corner to easily allow Mamadou Sakho to head home. On 28 October 2015, Teixeira made just his second appearance for the club, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 win over Bournemouth. Teixeira played a massive part in the winning goal, with his cheeky backheel being just cleared off the line, allowing Nathaniel Clyne to slot it in. Teixeira made his next appearance on 8 January 2016, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a 2-2 draw at Exeter. In the replay on 20 January, Teixeira opened his account in front of the Kop, cooly finishing from close range after a very good ball from Christian Benteke. After this however, Teixeira continued to find games hard to come by, making just two more starts between then and the end of the season. Then on 10 June 2016 it was confirmed that Teixeira would be leaving Liverpool in the summer, upon the expiration of his contract. Reports stated that he was offered a new deal, but he turned it down in favour of more playing time at another club. Honours Individual *Liverpool F.C. Academy Players' Player of the Year: 1 (2014-15) Stats External links *João Carlos Teixeira's profile on liverpoolfc.com Category:Former Players Category:Midfielders